Unlike the socialist French captain of the Enterprise, the original star ship captain thinks that space is important:

What’s Shatner’s assessment of NASA’s mission to head back to the moon and Mars?

“I think the country needs a noble objective, and among the notable objectives are peace, democracy and all the political things that abound,” he said. “One of the other things we need is a goal, which becomes unattainable. As soon as we go to the moon, we want to go to Mars, and as soon as we go to Mars, then it’s somewhere else.

“A constant need for a goal is a human condition, almost like a dream. It’s almost unattainable, but you continue to strive, and a journey through the stars will be a means of identifying this great country.”

Pretty nice words, coming from a Canadian, eh?